The HTC One Google Play Edition won’t play nice with T-Mobile’s network

The HTC One Google Play Edition (that’s what they’re calling these things) was released this week, and although we already knew that it wouldn’t work on Verizon or Sprint, some new information has been revealed in regards to network compatibility with T-Mobile (Spoiler Alert: It’s not looking good for T-Mobile customers).

The HTC One Google Play Edition is a unlocked GSM phone and should therefore be able to work on AT&T and T-Mobile, however the reality is quite different. If you plan on using your HTC One on T-Mobile and you aren’t in an area which has LTE, you’ll most like be stuck with low data speeds.

If you plan on using the HTC One Google Play Edition on T-Mobile in areas where there is no LTE, you'll be stuck with low data speeds.

This is due to the fact that the HTC One Google Play Edition does not support the necessary bands for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ AWS service. The HSPA+ AWS service requires a smartphone to be compatible with both the 1700MHz and 2100MHz, however the HTC One Google Play Edition does not support the 2100MHz band.

What this is means is that if you aren’t in an area where T-Mobile has LTE service, or where T-Mobile has moved its HSPA+ service onto the 1900MHz spectrum, you’ll be stuck on EDGE speeds.

Note that the HTC One Google Play Edition will work on AT&T without a hitch, and the Galaxy S4 Google Edition will work on both T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks.